1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates generally to a security device for a computer and to methods of constructing and utilizing same. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a security device which may be installed on substantially any type of personal computer for protecting the computer against unauthorized corruption, loss, and theft of data, as well as against the introduction of computer viruses.
2. Description Of Relevant Art
In the art of computers there are often encountered various problems associated with the security of information and programs stored on the main or hard storage disk of the computer, such problems including the introduction of computer viruses onto the hard disk, as well as the loss, corruption and theft of data stored on the hard disk. These problems are particularly prevalent in situations where a computer is used by many different persons, such as in educational and business environments.
In response to such problems, various known responses have been introduced. For example, it is conventionally known to assign authorized users a personalized, secret code or password which the users must enter before they are permitted access to programs and data stored on the computer's hard disk. Similarly, it is conventionally known to provide a lock on the computer keyboard and an associated key which may be used to adjust the lock between a locked position thereof (in which the keyboard may not be used to enter any instructions or information into the computer) and an unlocked position thereof (in which the keyboard and computer may be used in a conventional manner).
Although both of such known responses are effective for preventing the discussed security problems to an extent, there are several disadvantages and drawbacks to each of such responses. For example, neither of such known responses is effective to prevent an otherwise authorized user who has a proper password or is using the keyboard in an unlocked position from introducing a virus onto the computer hard disk or from deleting, corrupting or stealing data stored on the hard disk. Again, it will be noted that many users are often authorized to use a given computer in an educational or business environment, although none of such users would normally be authorized to introduce a virus onto the computer's hard disk or to delete, corrupt or steal data which is stored on the disk.
Further, with both of such known responses, the computer is rendered completely unusable, and not simply unusable in relation to undesired activities involving computer viruses or the deletion, corruption or stealing of data.
Still further, due to the software-based nature of a user code or password, this type of response to the security problems has been circumvented by unauthorized persons or hackers who are able to determine a code/password or who are otherwise able to avoid the necessity of entering an authorized code/password.
According to another known response to the discussed security problems, there are known and commercially available software programs, including a program by Norton Utilities, which may be loaded into the computer for detecting whether a virus has been loaded onto the hard disk and for removing a virus from the hard disk once it has been detected. Again, although such software programs are desirable and advantageous for combating computer viruses, there are significant limitations associated therewith. For example, these programs do not prevent users from gaining access to programs and information stored on the hard drive so that users may improperly delete, corrupt and steal data stored on the hard drive; they do not, in the first instance, prevent computer viruses from being loaded into the computer; given the software-based nature of these programs they may be circumvented by clever hackers; etc.
The present invention has been developed to overcome the many disadvantages and limitations of the prior responses to computer security problems, including those discussed above, and to generally fulfill a great need in the art by providing a relatively simple and inexpensive security device which may be attached to substantially any computer having main and auxiliary storage devices for preventing users of the computer from introducing damaging viruses into the computer's main storage disk and from deleting, corrupting or extracting data from the main storage disk, and which simultaneously permits the computer to be normally functional and usable for most conventional uses of the computer.